Chương 39: Controlled Zone

Mark woke up with some fears for today. Last night he agreed to go to the cave. He wanted to go but did not at the same time. He knew how to trap and kill, but he was not ready for having to fight head-on. Cora showed up first thing and just stood waiting for him. As he prepared his gear. Axe, spear, knife, rope—Cora just watched him. Ava quickly gathered her gear and got Bramble ready. She said.

"You're not going without me." Mark replied, "Are you sure you want to go? It could be dangerous."

"I need the xp… and you need backup. Plus Bramble is a great tracker; he will be useful."

"Ok, but make sure to stay back and be careful." He looked over to Dale, who looked to be packing a lunch for them in addition to finishing up breakfast, and asked.

"Dale, did you want to come also?"

"No way. You guys go have fun; I have things to do here at camp. Maybe I can do some pottery while you guys are gone. Also been thinking of building a brick oven for cooking." Mark just shook his head and finished grabbing his gear. After eating their breakfast and storing the lunches, they set off. Just as they crossed out of camp, Mark spoke to Cora.

"We can check the entrance today. Nothing more." The trip to the stream was quick, as the area between camp and it was a controlled area and had nothing that could cause them trouble. Once at the stream, they slowed down. Just before the pond, they crossed to the other side and stopped looking towards the cave. The cave was not big, tall enough to walk into without any issues, and wide enough that the 3 of them could go side by side if desired.

They looked around and did not see any more tracks beyond the ones they had followed earlier. Cora turned to Mark and said.

"Why are you hesitating?"

"When we cross the stream, I can feel that I am leaving my controlled area. This area is not explored or controlled. I have less ability to sense danger, and I am a little afraid of what we might find."

"Well, I need to know what is in there, so I guess I will lead and you can just follow behind." With that, Cora walked toward the cave. She hesitated just for a moment as they passed into the shade of the cave. Mark thought that maybe she could sense the change like he could. As he approached the cave, all the sounds around him died out. As he stepped into the shadow of the cave opening, he felt the total loss of the senses he had in his area of control. After taking one more step, a message appeared.

[System-Controlled Zone Detected] Access: Limited Unauthorized usage: this tale is on Amazon without the author's consent. Report any sightings. Control: None"Oh, interesting… system-controlled versus my control." Cora stopped and asked.

"What was that you said?"

"I just got a system message that we are now in a system-controlled zone and that control level is none. Back in the forest it shows me my control level there."

"Interesting. I did not get any message." Mark thought about that; she got no message. That means the control is related to his abilities. As they walked a few steps forward, the light dimmed and then finally fell away. Before Mark could think about it, Cora pulled out a torch and lit it, handing it to him. Pulling out a second torch, she lit it and handed it to Ava. That was the first point that Mark realized he did not prepare correctly for this. He was glad that Cora had thought about that.

They proceeded into the cave with Cora in the lead, Bramble to her right side, and Ava and Mark behind, holding the torches. They heard sounds, crackling and dragging, down the tunnel just out of sight. Cora stepped forward, then another. It finally came into sight. [Root Crawler Level 3] She stepped forward and made the first stab with the spear, and it glanced off the roots—too flexible. She switched to the axe. It was successful, but it pushed her back, and she stumbled, catching herself.

Bramble ran in and started tearing at the roots at the bottom. Finally Mark realized it was time to start and came up beside Cora with his axe and joined in. Ava, not wanting to be left out but not having the right tool, stepped forward and stabbed into it with her spear. She was not doing much damage but was not willing to stay out of the fight. Finally, it stopped moving and fell to the ground. Cora started to look around to see if there were any more. They could still hear sounds, but they were far off.

Nothing sounded like it was approaching, so she stepped back to talk to Mark.

"It sounds like there are more plants in here. Should we go back out and talk or continue?" As he looked at the root crawler, it was a little bigger than the rootling. A little more sturdy and a level higher. But with the three of them it was manageable. His concern, though, is if they ran into a group of them or something higher level. He finally said.

"We step back. Then decide. Let's go outside and talk about this." Mark looked down at the root crawler. It was more sturdy than the rootling. Its limbs looked more refined. Different from its smaller variant they had found outside. Finally, he reached down and touched it. He received 8xp and looted a trace mineral fragment and a dense root fiber. The drops were different from what he got outside of the cave. A new source of crafting materials.

He then watched Ava and then Cora loot, and the three of them walked out of the cave. Mark felt the change as he exited. From the numbness of no control to the sense of his controlled area just across the stream. It was a stark realization that he had no control at all in the cave. The group stopped outside. He looked at them and spoke up.

"What is everyone's thought?" Ava started first.

"This is different from the forest. No way to trap them. They seem fun though. I bet Bramble and I handle one. I am close to leveling a few more kills, and I will level up." Cora spoke next.

"They are low-level minimal xp, but they have different resources than in the forest. They might be other things there that would help out. Maybe more food items for Dale." Finally, Mark spoke.

"I really liked the dense root fiber I got. The xp is minimal; I would not level any time soon fighting here but it would be worth exploring it more and seeing what materials we can get." Mark thought about the cave and the potential for control. What this could mean for their resources. They needed better and different resources. Ava needed to gain skills in fighting up close, something that Mark did not want to get good at. This was also a bonding moment that might bring Cora more into the group.

Mark then finally spoke.

"Okay, my suggestion is that we go back in and explore a little farther. I am really interested in what this new area has in store for us. And would like to see what it takes to gain control here. Remember we can handle this level. Just don't get sloppy." Mark turned back around and walked toward the cave.